Monitoring the population dynamics of elusive hybridizing species in human-dominated landscapes helps conservation and management of these species. This is particularly relevant when wild species are ...potentially threatened by hybridization with a domestic species, as is the case for European wildcats and domestic cats. We estimated the occupancy of European wildcats in 2010 and in 2020, based on genetic analysis of single hairs, systematically collected at 121 1 km2 sites, evenly distributed across the Jura (4307 km2). We mapped the current density of European wildcats in Switzerland based on a spatial capture recapture model using data from 246 1 km2 sites, evenly distributed across the Jura, the Plateau and the Prealps. We estimated the level of admixture between European wildcats and domestic cats in Switzerland in 2010 and 2020. The proportion of occupied sites in the Swiss Jura doubled from 15 % to 31 % within ten years. The current wildcat population size in Switzerland is estimated to be around 1100 individuals. Gene flow from domestic cats into the wildcat gene pool increased from 0.02 to 0.03 migrants per generation between 2010 and 2020. The results suggest that the European wildcat distribution in Switzerland expanded to regions of increased human presence and thus presumably also of increased domestic cat presence. In this context, the threat of introgression of domestic genes becomes more relevant. Thus, continued monitoring of population dynamics using molecular tools is recommended. Long-term systematic genetic survey of population dynamics proves to be an important tool to manage elusive hybridizing mammals.
•European wildcats doubled their occupancy of the Swiss Jura within 10 years.•We generate a map modeling the current density of European wildcats in Switzerland.•In 2020, population size was ~1100 individuals.•Systematic genetic monitoring is an important tool to manage hybridizing species.•Increasing gene flow from domestic cats affects long-term conservation outlook.
Land use intensification is increasing worldwide and affects wildlife movements, particularly of specialist carnivores. Resource availability and anthropogenic activities drive the extent and shape ...of home range size. Wildlife may respond to decreased resource availability under intensification scenarios by increasing their home ranges; however they may be less affected when inhabiting sustainable agricultural landscapes. We investigate whether agricultural practices and landscape configuration influence the spatial behaviour of wildcats, a medium-sized specialist carnivore inhabiting landscapes with different degrees of agricultural presence across Europe. We focus on the effect of the proportions of high impact and low impact agriculture, forest integrity and forest edge density on wildcat home range size. We found that wildcat home range increased along with the proportion of high impact agriculture and the forest integrity, whereas it decreased when forest edge density increased. Forest edge density buffered the detrimental effects caused by high impact agriculture. To enhance the long term conservation of wildcats in Europe it is crucial to protect the sustainable mosaic-structured landscapes and prevent its conversion to homogenous intensified agricultural landscapes.
•Land use intensification alters the space use of multiple species across the globe.•We studied how agriculture intensification affects European wildcat home-range size.•Wildcat home range size increased along with the proportion of intensive agriculture.•Home range size of wildcats decreased when increasing forest edge density.
Objectives
The primary objective of this review was to conduct a systematic critical appraisal of published literature, in order to assess the evidence regarding the impact of cat group size on cat ...wellbeing in the domestic home. The secondary objectives were to: (i) identify additional social and environmental mediators of cat wellbeing in these contexts; and (ii) identify general limitations within the current evidence and provide recommendations for future studies.
Methods
A systematic search of electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar) was conducted using targeted Boolean phrasing. Papers were retained for appraisal of full text where they included a comparison of both single (n = 1) and multi-cat (n ⩾2) domestic housing conditions and/or comparison of different multi-cat group sizes, within a single study, and where they compared outcome measures that were either behavioural and/or physiological and deemed as relevant indicators of cat wellbeing.
Results
A total of 1334 unique papers were returned, 15 of which were retained. Of these papers, only four stated their primary aim to be an investigation of links between cat group size and cat wellbeing. Overall, the reviewed papers did not indicate consistent directions of effects regarding cat group size and outcome measures relevant to wellbeing. This was similar for the other social and environmental mediators identified.
Conclusions and relevance
Inconsistency in results is likely due to the substantial methodological variation, limitations in measures used as indicators of wellbeing and limitations in general study designs and reporting. Results also highlight the complex, multifactorial relationships between cat wellbeing and various social and environmental factors. These may be as, if not more, important than absolute numbers of cats residing within a household. Due to the various limitations and general paucity of research, further studies are recommended to provide a suitable evidence base regarding impacts of multi-cat living on cat wellbeing in domestic environments.
The genomic era has led to an unprecedented increase in the availability of genome‐wide data for a broad range of taxa. Wildlife management strives to make use of these vast resources to enable ...refined genetic assessments that enhance biodiversity conservation. However, as new genomic platforms emerge, problems remain in adapting the usually complex approaches for genotyping of noninvasively collected wildlife samples. Here, we provide practical guidelines for the standardized development of reduced single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panels applicable for microfluidic genotyping of degraded DNA samples, such as faeces or hairs. We demonstrate how microfluidic SNP panels can be optimized to efficiently monitor European wildcat (Felis silvestris S.) populations. We show how panels can be set up in a modular fashion to accommodate informative markers for relevant population genetics questions, such as individual identification, hybridization assessment and the detection of population structure. We discuss various aspects regarding the implementation of reduced SNP panels and provide a framework that will allow both molecular ecologists and practitioners to help bridge the gap between genomics and applied wildlife conservation.
Hybridisation between domestic and wild taxa can pose severe threats to wildlife conservation, and human-induced hybridisation, often linked to species' introductions and habitat degradation, may ...promote reproductive opportunities between species for which natural interbreeding would be highly unlikely. Using a biome-specific approach, we examine the effects of a suite of ecological drivers on the European wildcat's genetic integrity, while assessing the role played by protected areas in this process. We used genotype data from 1217 putative European wildcat samples from 13 European countries to assess the effects of landcover, disturbance and legal landscape protection on the European wildcat's genetic integrity across European biomes, through generalised linear models within a Bayesian framework. Overall, we found European wildcats to have genetic integrity levels above the wildcat-hybrid threshold (ca. 83%; threshold = 80%). However, Mediterranean and Temperate Insular biomes (i.e., Scotland) revealed lower levels, with 74% and 46% expected genetic integrity, respectively. We found that different drivers shape the level of genetic introgression across biomes, although forest integrity seems to be a common factor promoting European wildcat genetic integrity. Wildcat genetic integrity remains high, regardless of landscape legal protection, in biomes where populations appear to be healthy and show recent local range expansions. However, in biomes more susceptible to hybridisation, even protected areas show limited effectiveness in mitigating this threat. In the face of the detected patterns, we recommend that species conservation and management plans should be biome- and landscape-context-specific to ensure effective wildcat conservation, especially in the Mediterranean and Temperate Insular biomes.
•We investigated factors influencing European wildcat genetic integrity in Europe.•Wildcats in Temperate Continental biomes revealed high genetic integrity.•Peripheral regions exhibited a concerning scenario of lower genetic integrity.•Forest integrity revealed a common positive effect on wildcat genetic integrity.•Protected areas revealed low effectiveness in peripheral regions.
The Secure Base Effect (SBE) refers to a human or non-human animal’s ability to use the presence of a bonded caretaker, or other familiar stimulus, as a source of comfort that facilitates stress ...reduction and exploration in novel or stressful contexts. Recent research has shown that some pet domestic cats (Felis catus) display SBE in the presence of their human owner, a finding that could be utilized to improve cat welfare. In applied settings, cat owners are often encouraged to leave behind items holding their scent when leaving their cat in a novel location (e.g. boarding facility), so that these items can be provided to the cat if they show signs of separation distress. Although this practice has not be studied scientifically in cats, scent objects have been found to produce SBE in human research under similar conditions. Olfaction is thought to play an important role in the social behavior of domesticated cats, even in early life, as exposure to nest scent has been found to reduce stress in kittens. Thus, the possibility that owner scent might be sufficient to elicit SBE in cats is an important empirical question with applied implications. In the current study we asked whether owner scent would reduce cat anxiety when in an unfamiliar environment, and to what extent this might be related to whether the cat showed evidence of using their owner as a Secure Base. Forty-two adult cats underwent a counterbalanced Secure Base Test that examined the cat’s behavior with the owner present, without the owner present, and with a scent object present. On average, cats displayed a lower frequency of stress-related behaviors when the owner was present, providing support for the presence of SBE. However, this effect was not seen when the cat was alone with the scent object. The results of this research can be used to deepen our understanding of feline social behavior and welfare. These findings also highlight the importance of using evidence based practices to address cat anxiety in applied settings.
•Roughly half of evaluated cats exhibited the Secure Base Effect with their owner.•Cats displayed less stress behavior when in the company of their owner.•An object holding the owner’s scent did not promote the Secure Base Effect in cats.•Cats exhibited stress behavior in the presence of the scent object alone.•Allorubbing is an important reunion behavior, 83% of cats rub their owner following a separation.
Felids and canids coexist along their ranges worldwide. Various interactions can occur between these carnivores, with multiple consequences such as demographic changes of competitors, or behavioural ...modifications in the use of the spatial, temporal or trophic niches. European wildcats (
Felis silvestris silvestris
) and red foxes (
Vulpes vulpes
) coexist across Europe using multi-use landscapes when hunting rodents. They commonly use open fields during the day in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain). We collected 597 diurnal phenotypic wildcat observations between 2012 and 2019, during which we observed 14 encounters (2.34%) of wildcats and foxes. We compiled 11 more encounters from collaborators. Diurnal encounters between both species seem to be rare, which could result from the two species displaying active avoidance. During the encounters, foxes mainly showed offensive behaviours whereas wildcats showed a defensive intimidation strategy, probably in relation to their morphology. Both strategies were equally effective for maintaining the position in feeding grounds.
The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is a mesocarnivore species widely distributed in Europe, from Eastern Europe to Portugal and from Scotland to Italy. Recent biogeographical studies ...of wildcat populations have endeavoured to assess in detail the various issues that pose a threat to this species, including hybridization with domestic cats. The use of non-invasive sampling methods supported by photo-trapping and some attractants has made it possible to gather genetic material for the detection of native wildcats in locally threatened populations, some of which live in the Iberian Peninsula. Testimonies of naturalists, hunters and farm workers led our team to choose specific areas in two large territories of Mediterranean forests where the presence of wildcats has been historically attested: the Almonte River basin and the Sierra de San Pedro Mountains. Between 2014 and 2018, non-invasive hair sampling was performed using valerian (Valeriana officinalis) as an attractant and supported by photo-trapping to guarantee the collection of genuine biological material (hair samples). The hair samples were genetically assessed by sequencing the nuclear gene IRBP (interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein) and the mtDNA gene ND4 (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4). Despite the low density of wildcats, this combined protocol proved to be an applicable tool for detecting the presence of elusive wildcats and other mesocarnivore species in this remote region of southern Europe. In addition, non-invasive hair trapping contributes to the collection of genetic material from current wildcat populations. This procedure could enhance future management actions focused on collecting quality individualized biological material.
•The first pegivirus strains were identified from Felis silvestris catus species.•Near-entire genome sequences of two feline pegivirus strains were determined.•The pegivirus genomes shared only ...44.0–49.6 % identity with reported pegiviruses.•Feline pegivirus is a new species within the genus Pegivirus, family Flaviviridae.
We report a novel pegivirus in pet cats (Felis silvestris catus) in Japan. This virus was only 44.0–49.6 % identical to the reported viruses in the 11 current Pegivirus species and an unclassified pegivirus in dolphins within the entire protein-coding nucleotide sequence and was detected in 1.6 % of pet cats.
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